The 25 Best Westerns Ever Made Ranked (2024)

Westerns have often been criticized as a genre offering the same, tired tropes and recycled stories – something that many blame for the genre’s ‘death’ following its huge popularity from the 1930s to the late 1960s. However, while Westerns draw from the same well of iconography to tell their stories thanks to their setting, the genre is incredibly versatile and diverse. Just like the greatest films of any major, foundational genre, the best Westerns ever made are a mix of conventions executed at their peak, classic tropes being subverted to break genre boundaries, and trend-setting cinematic styles.

Even before the sub-genres of revisionist Westerns, anti-Westerns, or neo-Westerns formally entered the filmmaker's lexicon, mid-20th-century directors have long explored the genre's possibilities beyond what audiences expect. Meanwhile, there's also no shortage of straightforward good-vs-evil stories with great characters in the best Westerns ever made, and these films make up the bulk of those that heavily influenced contemporary action and adventure storytelling today. Although it might not be as popular as it once was, the Western genre remains a big part of the movie industry and an important part of the history of cinema.

25 The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Coen Brothers' Darkly Comedic Western Anthology

R

Director

Joel Coen , Ethan Coen

Release Date

November 9, 2018

Cast

Tim Blake Nelson , Willie Watson , Clancy Brown , Danny McCarthy , David Krumholtz , Liam Neeson , Harry Melling , Ralph Ineson , Thomas Wingate , Tim DeZarn , E.E. Bell , Alejandro Patiño , Tom Proctor , Clinton Roberts , Matthew Willig , Jesse Youngblood , J.J. Dashnaw , Stephen Root , Mike Watson , Brian Brown , ryan brown , Richard Bucher , Jesse Luken , Michael Cullen , Austin Rising , James Augare , Brendan Gleeson

Runtime

133 Minutes

While the Coen Brothers have made Western movies in the past, including several neo-Western movies, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs feels like their attempt to fit as many of their ideas for the genre into one film as possible.

The anthology movie tells six separate stories, from the tale of a singing gunslinger to the story of a young woman who is part of a wagon train to the story of an old prospector digging for gold, with the underlying theme of violence and bleakness in the Old West. Despite the often cynical view of these stories and their unhappy endings, there is a lot of humor to enjoy in the movie.

The first and titular story starring Tim Blake Nelson as Scruggs is particularly hilarious, like the Coen's take on a Western-themed cartoon, and the rest of the stories are filled with their brand of dark comedy. The movie also features a strong cast, including James Franco, Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan, Brendan Gleeson, and many more.

24 3:10 To Yuma (2007)

Christian Bale And Russell Crowe Lead An Elmore Leonard Adaptation

R

A struggling rancher volunteers to escort a notorious outlaw to the train that will take him to prison. As the journey unfolds, both men engage in a psychological battle of wills, testing their morals and resolve while facing relentless danger from the outlaw's gang and the harsh frontier.

Director

James Mangold

Release Date

September 6, 2007

Cast

Russell Crowe , Christian Bale , Logan Lerman , Dallas Roberts , Ben Foster , Peter Fonda

Runtime

122 minutes

An adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Western short story 3:10 to Yuma was previously made in 1957 to great effect, but the more modern take on the material from 2007 is an even more effective retelling.

Russell Crowe stars in the movie as an outlaw who is captured and scheduled to be sent to prison for hanging via a train in Yuma. Christian Bale co-stars as the desperate farmer who takes a job as part of the posse tasked with delivering the prisoner to the train on time.

The simple setup makes for an intriguing thriller with some great characters. Crowe and Bale play off each other well as two very complex takes on the typical Western hero and villain archetypes. Mangold also directs some thrilling Western set pieces that propel the action as the posse is picked off one by one.

23 Shane (1953)

A Gunfighter Defends A Family Of Farmers

Shane delivers one of the great heroic tales of the Western genre with one of the greatest stories of good versus evil that still strikes a chord all these decades later. The movie stars Alan Ladd as the titular gunfighter who has turned into a drifter, eventually being hired as a farmhand for a mild-mannered family. However, when a local land baron attempts to muscle the family off of their land, Shane steps into his old ways to become the family's protector.

There have been countless movies like this in which the reluctant warrior is called back into action for a noble cause, however, many of them look to Shane for inspiration. The acclaimed comic book movie Logan even directly references Shane as it tells a similar story. It is a riveting and exciting Western adventure with a crowd-pleasing and somewhat heartbreaking hero at its center.

22 The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

A Dark Tale Of An Infamous Western Figure

More modern stories not only enjoy dismantling the tropes of the genre but also some of the iconic figures of Western pop culture. Jesse James was mostly been depicted as a Robin Hood-like character and a likable antihero in Western movies.

However, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford takes a much darker look at his legacy as the murderer and twisted criminal that he truly was. Brad Pitt stars as Jesse, but the star of the show is Casey Affleck who gives a brilliant and layered performance as Robert Ford, the man who idolized Jesse and ultimately killed him.

Along with being an examination of these two Western figures, the movie is also a commentary on celebrities and the obsession people can have with them. It is a dark and bleak genre entry that is also one of the best of the 21st century.

21 Tombstone (1993)

Wyatt Earp Leads A Fight Against Cowboys

See Also

The 25 Best Western Movies Of All Time45 Best Westerns of All Time, Ranked10 Best Western Movies of All Time, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes20 Greatest Western Films of All Time

R

Director

George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre

Release Date

December 25, 1993

Cast

Bill Paxton , Charlton Heston , Sam Elliott , Powers Boothe , Val Kilmer , Kurt Russell , Michael Biehn , Jason Priestley

Runtime

130 minutes

Wyatt Earp is another Western figure who has been at the center of countless movies in the genre. However, none of them have been as good as Tombstone. The movie follows the story of Wyatt's ascension into a legend as he goes from business owner to lawman as he and his allies took on the villainous Cowboys who overran the town of Tombstone, leading to the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral and its aftermath.

The movie is a rollicking and thrilling Western ride with tough heroes, intimidating villains, and some of the most quotable Western lines of all time. Kurt Russell makes for a pitch-perfect Wyatt Earp and he is backed by an incredible cast that also includes Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton as his brothers. However, it is Val Kilmer who steals the show as Doc Holliday, creating one of the genre's greatest anti-heroes.

20 The Wild Bunch (1969)

A Band Of Aging Gunmen Take A Final Stand

R

Director

Sam Peckinpah

Release Date

June 19, 1969

Cast

William Holden , Ernest Borgnine , Robert Ryan , Edmond O'Brien , Warren Oates , Jaime Sánchez , Ben Johnson

Runtime

135 Minutes

Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch was a bit of a game-changer in terms of Westerns as well as action movies in general. While gunfights and violence had always been a part of these types of movies, The Wild Bunch sought to depict it as a brutal and bloody story that helped start a wave of more graphic action sequences.

The movie follows a group of aging outlaws who set out to take one last big score but find themselves the targets of some powerful enemies. What makes it one of the best Westerns ever made is how The Wild Bunch culminates in one of the best shootouts in movie history.

It is one of the most intense and visceral action sequences ever created in cinema history which still packs a bunch all these years later. It is a movie that presents a group of unlikable, deadly, and vicious characters yet dares the audience to root for them.

19 The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

A Moral Dilemma At The Heart Of A Western Adventure

Older Western movies sometimes have an unfair reputation of being simplistic stories about the men in white hats shooting at the men in black hats. However, a movie like The Ox-Bow Incident proves they could tell complex stories within the genre. Henry Fonda stars in the movie about a posse who tracks down a trio of men suspected of killing a local farmer. As tensions build, the posse becomes divided on whether to kill the men or not.

The Ox-Bow Incident's examination of morality and mob justice also means that it's one of the first true revisionist Western films. The debate at the center of the story is interesting with the stance on both sides feeling like it is grounded in some reality rather than simply being the point of view of some genre clichés.

18 The Revenant (2015)

DiCaprio's Oscar-Winning Performance As A Western Survivor

R

Director

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Release Date

December 25, 2015

Cast

Will Poulter , Leonardo DiCaprio , Paul Anderson , Tom Hardy , Domhnall Gleeson

Runtime

156minutes

In The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a fur trader who is wounded and left for dead by his treacherous companions. He is then forced to make his way back home through the unforgiving landscape. From Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, the movie is a beautiful yet brutal odyssey. DiCaprio gives a powerful performance and is joined by Tom Hardy in a solid villainous role.

Considering how much the actor suffered during the making of this ode to the harsh and wild frontier, it's also quite fitting that DiCaprio earned his first Best Actor Oscar win in one of the best Westerns ever made. In many ways, it feels like an intense survival story more than a typical Western, but it does include some terrific set pieces, including the opening one-take action sequence when the fur trade camp is raided.

17 High Noon (1952)

Gary Cooper Stars In The Western Tale Of Heroism

Not only is High Noon one of the best Westerns ever made, but it also delivers one of the best movie heroes of all time in the form of protagonist Will Kane. Gary Cooper stars as Kane, a lawman who is about to hang up his badge when an outlaw heads to town looking to settle a score with him. When no one else in town will help him, Kane stands determined to face his destiny alone.

Along with being a tense Western story with a thrilling climax, it is also a morality tale about someone standing up for what is right even when no one else is willing to stand beside them. The movie was reportedly a movie in response to the McCarthyism attack on Hollywood figures in the 1950s with it being a call for heroes to stand up for what is right even as the rest of society is overcome with fear and inaction.

16 A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)

The First Entry In The Dollars Trilogy

pg-13

Director

Sergio Leone , Monte Hellman

Release Date

January 18, 1964

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Marianne Koch , Gian Maria Volonte , Wolfgang Lukschy , Sieghardt Rupp , Joseph Egger

Runtime

99minutes

The first movie in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars popularized an entire subgenre known as the Spaghetti Western with its flawless execution and iconic style. The movie sees the Man with No Name – played by Clint Eastwood – inserting himself into a tense conflict with three warring brothers, playing the different factions off against each other.

The movie is inspired by the Akira Kurosawa samurai movie Yojimbo. Largely responsible for catapulting Eastwood into pop culture legend, A Fistful of Dollars also features a beautiful score from composer Ennio Morricone.

Eastwood helped to cement a new kind of protagonist for the Western genre. He had the strong stoic energy of Gary Cooper and John Wayne, but he was also more morally gray and had a charming sense of humor about him that helped push these types of heroes into new territory.

15 Rio Bravo (1959)

A Band Of Heroes Prepare To Face A Villainous Gang

Passed

Director

Howard Hawks

Release Date

April 4, 1959

Cast

John Wayne , Dean Martin , Ricky Nelson , Angie Dickinson , Walter Brennan

Runtime

141 Minutes

Directed by filmmaking legend Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Rio Bravo follows the story of Sherriff John T. Chance (Wayne), his deputy, and a hotshot sharpshooter, who sparks the ire of a ruthless gang of outlaws. This forces the heroes to take up arms to defend the titular town of Rio Bravo from the gang’s impending assault.

A cornerstone of the genre, what truly places Rio Bravo among the best Westerns ever made is how it meticulously reveals what each relevant character is fighting for, making for a rich and entertaining ensemble that is fun to hang out with even when there is no action on the screen. Indeed, no dramatic moment is wasted in Rio Bravo - every story or conversation without a gun being fired only lends weight to the resulting action later.

14 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

Two Outlaws Go On The Run

Between its incredible pairing of Paul Newman and Robert Redford in its title roles, subversion of the typical genre narrative, and famous ending, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is undoubtedly among the best Westerns ever made. The movie follows outlaws Butch Cassidy and his younger companion Sundance, as they commit a series of train robberies – subsequently being forced to flee to Bolivia to escape the law.

Although several critics – including Roger Ebert – disliked the film initially, the movie has since earned a reputation as one of the classics of the genre and was even nominated for four Academy Awards. It makes for one of the best buddy movies of all time with Redford and Newman cementing a wonderful chemistry together that would extend into their subsequent team-up in The Sting. Despite how the movie ends, it is a funny and lighthearted adventure with two lovable outlaws.

13 Dances With Wolves (1990)

Kevin Costner's Western Best Picture Winner

PG-13

Dances With Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner, follows Civil War soldier John Dunbar, who is sent to a remote post on the Western frontier. There, he forms an unexpected bond with a Sioux tribe, challenging his own beliefs and understanding of culture and identity.

Director

Kevin Costner

Release Date

March 30, 1990

Cast

Kevin Costner , Mary McDonnell , Graham Greene , Rodney A. Grant , Floyd Westerman , Tantoo Cardinal

Runtime

181 minutes

One of the best Kevin Costner Western movies was also directed by Costner himself. Dances With Wolves stars Costner as an officer assigned to a Civil War outpost where he forms a bond with the Native American people of the area. The movie is a sprawling and gorgeous Western that is more interested in the quiet human moments than big action sequences.

While the movie was a big gamble for Costner, it certainly paid off with the movie winning Best Picture and Best Director while also becoming a box office smash. Combined with its pristine cinematography, Dances With Wolves makes for an engrossing large-scale story. In 2007, the National Film Registry solidified its long-lasting legacy by picking the movie for preservation. It is that legacy that makes people so excited for Costner's next risky Western movie, Horizon: An American Saga.

12 The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948)

The Hunt For Treasure Turns Deadly

10/10

Not Rated

Director

John Huston

Release Date

January 24, 1948

Cast

Humphrey Bogart , Walter Huston , Tim Holt , Bruce Bennett , Barton MacLane

Runtime

126 Minutes

It is always interesting to see Western movies combine other genre elements such as this classic combination of a Western and a treasure hunt movie. Based on the 1935 novel of the same name by B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre sees three impoverished men – played by Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt, and Walter Huston – set out to strike gold in Mexico.

The movie explores the pitfalls and insidious influence of greed, taking some dark turns for a Western of its time. Subverting the traditional good-vs-evil narrative that remains a staple of the best Westerns ever made, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is one of John Huston’s finest-ever directorial efforts.

In 1949, The Writers Guild of America conferred it with the award for Best Written Western. Huston's own father, Walter Huston, also appears in the movie, stealing the show in an Oscar-winning supporting role.

11 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

John Wayne And Jimmy Stewart Team For A Western Whodunnit

Approved

Director

John Ford

Release Date

April 22, 1962

Cast

James Stewart , John Wayne , Vera Miles , Lee Marvin , Edmond O'Brien , Andy Devine , Ken Murray , John Carradine

Runtime

123 Minutes

With John Ford in the director’s chair, as well as the likes of John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin, and Vera Miles in front of the camera, it’s no surprise that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance became such a huge hit. Telling the familiar story of an underdog – James Stewart’s Ranse Stoddard – who’s forced to take on a merciless outlaw – Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance – the movie succeeds through its unique style of storytelling and how it plays with the notion of the Western myth.

Along with the amazing cast of iconic actors, the movie is noted for paving the way for more psychological films in the genre. Typically, the shootout is the climax of the movie but this story had the confidence to make the act of violence the catalyst for a much quieter yet riveting Western to take place.

10 Unforgiven (1992)

Clint Eastwood's Dark Final Western

R

Director

Clint Eastwood

Release Date

August 7, 1992

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Gene Hackman , Morgan Freeman , Richard Harris , Jaimz Woolvett , Saul Rubinek , Frances Fisher , Anna Thomson , David Mucci , Rob Campbell , Anthony James , Tara Frederick , Beverley Elliott , Liisa Repo-Martell , Josie Smith , Shane Thomas Meier , Aline Levasseur , Cherrilene Cardinal , Robert Koons , Ron White , Mina E. Mina , Henry Kope , Jeremy Ratchford , John Pyper-Ferguson

Runtime

130 Mins

When Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven was released in 1992, the Western genre was seen as dead for the most part. However, this dark and complex tale subverted many of the Western genre's tropes to tell a powerful story.

The movie was a huge success and was hailed for its more critical portrayal of the West’s supposed ‘heroes’ – with Eastwood’s protagonist Munny having committed countless murders of men, women, and children before the events of the movie.

Unforgiven’s greatest strengths lie in its lack of Hollywood gloss, making its story feel somehow bleaker yet more human, even when compared to some of the best Westerns ever made. The movie serves as Eastwood's farewell to the Western genre and there is no better way for him to make the exit. The movie brilliantly subverts genre clichés for an intense experience that earned Eastwood an Oscar for Best Director, while the movie won Best Picture as well.

9 For A Few Dollars More (1965)

The Second Entry In The Dollar's Trilogy

R

Director

Sergio Leone

Release Date

May 10, 1967

Cast

Clint Eastwood , Lee Van Cleef , Gian Maria Volonte , Mario Brega , Luigi Pistilli , Klaus Kinski , Aldo Sambrell , Benito Stefanelli , Lorenzo Robledo

Runtime

132 minutes

For A Few Dollars More serves as the middle chapter of the fantastic Dollars Trilogy, with Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone teaming up to deliver another all-time classic. After Eastwood’s Manco and Lee Van Cleef’s Colonel Douglas Mortimer set their sights on the same bounty, the two men join forces to take down the vicious outlaw El Indio.

Like many classic movies, For A Few Dollars More wasn’t particularly well-received upon its release but has since been ranked highly among the best Westerns ever made, with Leone’s stylish direction setting the movie apart from others of its ilk. Eastwood once again fits effortlessly into the strong and silent hero role while it is a lot of fun to see him sharing the screen more with Van Cleef who is one of the Western genre's most underrated actors.

8 Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western Epic

pg-13

Director

Sergio Leone

Release Date

December 20, 1968

Cast

Henry Fonda , Charles Bronson , Claudia Cardinale , Jason Robards , Gabriele Ferzetti

Runtime

166 Minutes

As overused as the term has become, there’s no other word to accurately describe Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West than epic. Boasting an ensemble cast featuring the likes of Charles Bronson and an against-type Henry Fonda, the movie spins a sprawling, revisionist yarn about violence in the Old West. The movie follows a widow, an outlaw, and a mysterious gunslinger who become unlikely allies when they are confronted with a ruthless killer.

A firm favorite among many of the greatest contemporary filmmakers - including Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese - Once Upon A Time in the West’s initially lukewarm reviews eventually gave way to widespread acclaim. From the nearly wordless opening sequence at a train station, the confidence Leone has as a director helps to paint a truly unique masterpiece, not just in the Western genre, but in cinema in general.

7 Django Unchained (2012)

Tarantino's First Western About A Slave-Turned-Bounty Hunter

R

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Release Date

December 25, 2012

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio , Jonah Hill , Samuel L. Jackson , Jamie Foxx , Kerry Washington , Christoph Waltz

Runtime

165 Minutes

It may come as a shock to see a film as recent as 2012’s Django Unchained being called one of the best Westerns ever made. However, no other movie has shone a brighter light on the revisionist Western genre in the 21st century than Django Unchained. Managing to tell a harrowing story about slavery and vengeance while somehow filling it with humor, heart, and blood-soaked action, Quentin Tarantino keeps a lot of plates spinning with Django Unchained – without dropping a single one.

The result is a movie that’s satisfying on almost every conceivable level – with its dialogue, characters, and nail-biting tension culminating in one of the most thrilling shootouts ever. Tarantino is a well-known fan of Westerns with the influence from the genre being seen in his other movies. However, it is a lot of fun seeing him actually get to play in this world and create a Western that is uniquely Tarantino.

6 The Magnificent Seven (1960)

A Band Of Gunslingers Protect A Small Village

The highly influential Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was inspired by John Ford's foundational Western films when he made the 1954 classic Seven Samurai. Director John Sturges continued the prevalent cultural exchange of the time by looking to Seven Samurai to produce his own Western take on the story: 1960's The Magnificent Seven.

In this movie, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, and James Coburn lead seven mismatched but determined gunslingers in the defense of a small Mexican village being targeted by outlaws.

The Magnificent Seven was remade in 2016, but even with several Hollywood A-listers cast among the titular heroes, the modern version could scarcely match this timeless classic. Movies like Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon still borrow from Kurosawa's original adventure, but The Magnificent Seven was the best to do it by also creating its own story with fun characters who stand on their own.

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